Best PlacesHector, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Hector, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Hector ranks 49,832nd of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Hector
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Hector's strengths and weaknesses
Where Hector ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of towns
- Cheap childcare$487 a month, better than 93% of towns
- Internet speedBetter than 79% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than 70% of towns
- QuietBetter than 68% of towns
Where Hector ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of towns
- Short commute44.9 minutes each way, better than only 2% of towns
- Health outlookBetter than only 2% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 3% of towns
Who lives in Hector
Hector runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Hector.
Who works in Hector, and how
Work in Hector centers on other services and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Hector
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Hector.
What the weather is like in Hector, month by month
Hector sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 26° |
| April | 72° | 57° | 43° |
| July | 88° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 74° | 59° | 46° |
Flying in and out of Hector
The nearest airport, Blue Grass, is about 80 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 142 miles away.
The best schools in and around Hector
Schools across Hector average a D+, better than 12% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Oneida Elementary SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Goose Rock ElementaryC− · 25% proficient
- Big Creek ElementaryD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Clay County Middle SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Clay County High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Hector school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Hector measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Hector against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Hector
Is Hector a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Hector ranks 49,832nd of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on tree cover, affordable childcare, and fast internet, and lowest on education levels and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Hector safe?
Hector is safer than 16% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $433 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Hector?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 47 with lows near 26. That works out to about 65 pleasant days a year, more than 16% of towns.
Compare Hector with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Hector. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Hector represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Hector detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Hector: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Hector: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Hector: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Hector: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Hector detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.